Our Board

Sarah Pickup

Sarah took over as HUC’s Chair on 1 April 2023. She is the Deputy Chief Executive of the Local Government Association (LGA). She previously worked for Hertfordshire County Council as Deputy Chief Executive with responsibility for Corporate Services as well as being the county’s Chief Finance Officer. Until her appointment to this role in May 2013, Sarah was Director of Health & Community Services in Hertfordshire for 10 years.

Sarah is on the board of Hightown Housing Association, a Trustee of the Nuffield Trust, and a Trustee of a local arts centre. She was president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) in 2012/13.  Sarah graduated from Sussex University with a degree in Economics and is a member of CIPFA. In 2023, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to social care.

David Archer

David joined HUC in June 2007 to assist in the creation of the organisation and lead the operational focus of delivering the new countywide service. His involvement with urgent care provision dates back to 1996 in North Yorkshire, where a number of organisations developed to become the largest GP Co-operative in the UK. Since then he has held a number of board-level posts, leading on operations and development of different planned and unplanned care services. Most recently, he has led on developing our nationally recognised NHS 111 service.

David is passionate about promoting innovation, using technology in healthcare and integrating services to deliver high-quality, locally delivered care. David leads on the development of new services as well as focusing on the formation of new partnerships to support the sustainable delivery of services.

Richard Webber

Richard joined HUC in September 2024 as Chief Operating Officer, bringing with him a wealth of experience as both a clinician and a senior healthcare leader. His background as a frontline paramedic, which he continues to practice, provides him with valuable insights into the day-to-day realities of patient care. Richard’s extensive experience in healthcare operations and leadership positions him well to drive HUC’s commitment to putting patients at the start and heart of care.

Prior to joining HUC, Richard served as the National Lead for NHS 111 and unscheduled care services at Practice Plus Group, where he oversaw operations answering nearly three million calls annually across multiple contact centes. His career also includes significant roles within the NHS, such as Lead Paramedic for NHS England, Director of Operations for the London Ambulance Service, and Clinical Director for South East Coast Ambulance Service. Richard’s expertise in emergency preparedness is evident from his roles as Strategic Ambulance Commander during major events like the 2011 London riots and the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. At HUC, Richard is focused on enhancing the organisation’s operational capabilities and fostering a culture of continuous improvement to meet the evolving needs of our patients.

Dr Sivanthi Sivakumar

Dr Sivanthi Sivakumar joined HUC in June 2021 as Chief Medical Officer. Sivanthi has a clinical background incorporating General Practice, Emergency Medicine and Urgent and Unscheduled Care. Initially a GP in South London, she continued to develop her emergency skill set as a clinical trust fellow in a busy Emergency Department with a Major Trauma Unit.

Sivanthi has a proven record of service improvement, driven by her strong belief in the importance of the quality of the patient experience; that patients should not only receive the highest standard of clinical care, but that they should also feel respected, involved and cared for.

Sarah Robertson Goldsworthy

Sarah Robertson Goldsworthy joined HUC as Head of Development in July 2015. She played a vital role in driving the recent growth of the organisation building on HUC’s wealth of experience in the NHS111 and Out of Hours sectors and helped successfully build a strong integrated urgent care and primary care portfolio.

In May 2018, Sarah was appointed Director of Business Development and Strategy, which reflects the importance of growth, planning and service development to HUC. In May 2020, her job title was changed to Commercial Director to reflect her portfolio and team.

Sarah has excellent experience in service development and improvement having worked both in key roles in other healthcare provider organisations as well as in commissioning organisations. At HUC, she is also a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Conor Burke

Conor joined HUC in 2021. He began his career as an Occupational Therapist and then worked as an NHS manager in London. Until 2018 he was Chief Officer of Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Groups where he led a series of major performance, quality and financial turnaround initiatives locally and across London as the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) and Chair of the North East London STP Transformation Board and Chair of the London Urgent & Emergency Care Improvement Board.

He has also worked for a range of consulting firms leading work on change management, governance, organisational development, risk management and informatics. He now works as an independent advisor building bridges between NHS systems and providers, innovators, health-tech companies and investors to help transform the delivery of health and care.

Nigel Hopkins

Nigel started his career in accountancy, initially at Ernst & Young and then PwC, with much of his subsequent career at executive level in well-known organisations, in Finance Director positions. He has substantial recent experience in social housing, retirement and care organisations. Nigel has significant experience both at Board level and in chairing various Board committees, across commercial, public and voluntary sectors. He is currently chair of Social Finance End of Life Care Integrator and Macmillan Operational Board.

Nigel chairs the Finance, Investment and Audit Committee on behalf of the Board. This has been established to further enhance HUC’s governance.

Dr Tim Jollyman

Dr Tim Jollyman joined HUC as a Non-Executive Director in March 2021. He has worked in the NHS since 1993, predominantly as a general practitioner in Hertfordshire until 2020. During that time, he has provided leadership in clinical governance, service development and quality improvement in many spheres.

He continues his passion for patient care and innovation, combining general practice at a leading investment bank in the City of London and Clinical Leadership at a rapidly expanding MedTech company. At HUC, he uses his knowledge and experience in healthcare provision to help the company reach its key clinical priorities and commitments.

Tracey Taylor Huckfield

Tracey has over 25 years experience in human resources and organisational development, including as a Board Director, with a strong Brand and marketing strategy background too. She has been instrumental in the strategic and cultural development of a variety of organisations across the charity and public sectors.

Tracey is currently the Director of People and Corporate Services at Sue Ryder.